Security Support for Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 to be terminated on February 15th

One year after the release of Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 alias “lenny” and
nearly three years after the release of Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 alias “etch”
the security support for the old distribution (4.0 alias “etch”) is
coming to an end next month. The Debian project is proud to be able to
support its old distribution for such a long time and even for one year
after a new version has been released.

The Debian project released Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 alias “lenny” on the
15th of February 2009. Users and Distributors have been given a one-year
timeframe to upgrade their old installations to the current stable
release. Hence, the security support for the old release of 4.0 is going
to end in February 2010 as previously announced.

Previously announced security updates for the old release will continue
to be available on security.debian.org.

Security Updates
—————-

The Debian Security Team provides security updates for the current
distribution via . Security updates for the
old distribution are also provided for one year after the new
distribution has been released or until the current distribution is
superseded, whatever happens first.

Upgrading to Debian 5.0 alias “lenny”
————————————-

Upgrades to Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 from the previous release, Debian
GNU/Linux 4.0 alias “etch” are automatically handled by the aptitude
package management tool for most configurations, and to a certain degree
also by the apt-get package management tool. As always, Debian GNU/Linux
systems can be upgraded painlessly, in place, without any forced
downtime, but it is strongly recommended to read the release notes[1] for
possible issues, and for detailed instructions on installing and
upgrading.

1: http://www.debian.org/releases/lenny/releasenotes

About Debian
————

Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system, developed by more than
thousand volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the
Internet. Debian’s dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature,
and its open development model make it unique among GNU/Linux
distributions.

The Debian project’s key strengths are its volunteer base, its dedication
to the Debian Social Contract, and its commitment to provide the best
operating system possible.

Cntact Information
——————-

For further information, please send email to the Debian Press Team

or visit the Debian homepage at.

— To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-announce-REQUEST@lists.debian.org with a subject of “unsubscribe”. Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org